UNC Basketball: Tar Heels miss on another 5-star wing

Roy Williams, UNC basketball program miss out on another 5-star wing in the class of 2021

Maybe it was just a long-shot after all, but Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels were hoping to at least get some consideration from one of the only remaining uncommitted 5-star wings in the class of 2021.

That’s not going to be the case, though, as South Carolina native and top-25 prospect Bryce McGowens left the Tar Heels off his list of five finalists that he announced via Twitter on Monday afternoon. Instead, McGowens named Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan and Nebraska as the programs he’ll be moving forward with.

It’s interesting that the Seminoles made McGowens’ list despite the fact that he didn’t feel strongly enough about the program to stay committed there to begin with. It was at the time of McGowens’ decommitment from the school just under two weeks ago that North Carolina and a slew of other big-name schools reached out to him in hopes of adding the 5-star prospect to their respective 2021 recruiting classes.

It’s beginning to sound like a broken record, but it’s just the latest in a series of misses for Williams and his coaching staff over the past few years; at least as it pertains to the wing position. That’s where they’ve continued to struggle on the recruiting trail since getting a commitment from Nassir Little in late 2017. Thankfully for the Tar Heels, they’ve reeled in top flight point guards during each of the subsequent seasons, as well as some of the nation’s best front court prospects.

I look for the Tar Heels to continue scouring the high school ranks for players to fill out their 2021 class, especially since available players at the top of their board are becoming very thin. They’ve currently got just four remaining official targets in the class, and none appear to be leaning toward UNC.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the Tar Heels’ 2021 recruiting class, as well as everything UNC basketball.